Southern Illinois University Carbondale: merit scholarships by GPA
Southern Illinois University Carbondale awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 2.75 GPA and reach $5,500 a year. Because the bands are steps rather than a slope, a hundredth of a GPA point is worth nothing inside a band and the whole step at the edge of one.
Enter a GPA below to see which band it actually lands in, what that band pays, and what the next band needs.
Read this first
Every amount is an "up to" figure, and SIU's policies page contradicts its scholarship page on the top award — the grid says "Up to $5,500/year" while the policies page calls it "valued between $5,500/year and up". Renewal needs a 3.0 SIU GPA, which is above the 2.75 that earns the lowest rung. The award is lost if a student moves to online-only or off-campus classes, and total institutional aid is capped at cost of attendance, so the figure can be reduced.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
Saluki Gold Scholarship
Up to $3,500 a year, up to $14,000 over four / year
About $14,000 over four years, if it renews.
SIU awards this on GPA alone, so an ACT score does not change it. A higher score can still matter for admission, for honours programmes, and at other schools on the list — but not for this award.
The ACT doesn't move the money here — but it still decides admission, honours eligibility, and what they is worth at the other schools on the list, where most awards are score-keyed.
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The published SIU merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s own pages for Fall 2027 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Saluki merit awards
Awarded automatically on admission, read on the unweighted high school GPA. Renewal needs a FAFSA each year, full-time enrolment and a 3.0 SIU GPA.
Up to $5,500 a year, up to $22,000 over four
University Excellence Scholarship
No score needed
Up to $3,500 a year, up to $14,000 over four
Saluki Gold Scholarship
No score needed
Up to $2,500 a year, up to $10,000 over four
Saluki Silver Scholarship
No score needed
Up to $1,500 a year, up to $6,000 over four
Saluki Maroon Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| University Excellence Scholarship | — | Up to $5,500 a year, up to $22,000 over four |
| Saluki Gold Scholarship | — | Up to $3,500 a year, up to $14,000 over four |
| Saluki Silver Scholarship | — | Up to $2,500 a year, up to $10,000 over four |
| Saluki Maroon Scholarship | — | Up to $1,500 a year, up to $6,000 over four |
Source: New freshman scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
Does SIU superscore for scholarships?
Not stated, and the current grid reads no score.
With nothing published, plan for the stricter reading: look up your best single sitting in the grid above, work out your superscore as well, and ask SIU’s financial aid office which one they read before you count on the higher band.
Comparing schools? See which colleges superscore for scholarships — 66 of 501 commit to it, 52 say they do not, and the rest never say.
SIU scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Preferred first-year application | December 1 |
| Chancellor's supplemental application | November 2 |
Scores take roughly two to four weeks to arrive, and official reports sent to schools can take longer, so the last useful test date is several weeks before the printed deadline. Check which test dates still make it.
Where these numbers came from
Every figure on this page was read from Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- New freshman scholarshipsverified 2026-10-24
- Scholarship terms and conditionsverified 2026-10-24
- Apply — test-optional policyverified 2026-10-24
- The lowest rung is earned at a 2.75 and kept at a 3.0 — the award is easier to win than to hold.
- The 3.79-to-3.80 step is worth $2,000 a year, $8,000 across four.
- The ladder runs $1,500 to $5,500 a year, each with its four-year total printed.
- Every amount is an "up to" figure.
- SIU's policies page and scholarship page disagree on whether $5,500 is a ceiling or a floor.
- The GPA is unweighted.
- No rung reads an ACT score.
- Moving to online-only or off-campus classes ends the award.
- Total institutional aid is capped at cost of attendance, so the figure can be reduced.
- The Chancellor's Scholarship — full tuition, fees, housing and food — requires University Excellence plus a supplemental application, so it is not a band here.
Check before you rely on it. Grids change by entry year and schools update them without notice. This page is a reproduction with a date on it, not a guarantee, and it is not financial aid advice. ClutchACT is not affiliated with Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at SIU?
Southern Illinois University Carbondale publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is SIU test-optional?
A score is still a route to automatic admission — SIU's catalog names a 23 ACT — but it is not required at a 2.75 or above. For merit aid the answer is different: the current grid is unweighted GPA alone. A route through a 3.5 with a 28 ACT still appears on third-party sites but is no longer on SIU's own page. Being admitted without a score and qualifying for money without a score are two separate questions.
How much is a 30 on the ACT worth at SIU?
On SIU's published grid for Fall 2027 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Saluki Gold Scholarship at $3,500 a year, about $14,000 over four years if it renews.
Does SIU superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated, and the current grid reads no score.
When are SIU scholarship deadlines?
Preferred first-year application: December 1. Chancellor's supplemental application: November 2. The application and the official score report are both due by that date, and ACT scores take roughly two to four weeks to arrive — so the last useful test date is several weeks earlier than the deadline suggests.
Is this SIU scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Southern Illinois University Carbondale's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-24. The sources are linked at the bottom of the page with that date. Grids change by entry year, so check the source before relying on a figure for a decision.
Other schools to check
What to do next
SIU awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though SIU is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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